Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World

Polybius Square

Clip: Episode 6 | 1m 42s

Polybius, a Greek statesman and tutor to the Roman general, Scipio Africanus, sees that the Romans' method of signaling on the battlefield is limited to a small number of messages. He decides to invent a code so words can be exchanged between battalions freely. The result: the first long distance messaging system.

Aired: 05/22/19

Rating: TV-PG

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